Dolly conveyor for a dishwasher



United States Patent [72] Inventor Tore ll. Noren 1350 Donner Ave., SanFrancisco, California 94124 [21] Appl. No. 707,565 [22] Filed Feb. 23,1968 [45] Patented Nov. 10, 1970 [54] DOLLY CONVEYOR FOR A DISHWASHER 15Claims, 14 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 198/181, 198/229; 134/70 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g 17/22, B65g17/34 [50] Field ofSearch 198/181, 129, 229,231,108, 230; 293/85, 86,89; 108/64; 134/76 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,438,17712/1922 Hatashita 293/86 1,548,087 8/1925 Heller 293/85 1,561,15511/1925 Goldstein 293/86X 2,334,511 11/1943 Seubert 198/108 2,368,l 141/1945 Cartlidge.... 198/229X 2,401,204 5/1946 Urban 198/1 08 3,117,6681/1964 Weihe 198/181 Primary Examiner-Hugo O. Schulz Attorney-William R.Piper Patented Nov. 10, 1970 I 3,538,999

Sheet 1 of 5 INVENTOR TORE H NOREN ATTORNEY Sheet INVENTOR TORE H.NOREN' ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1970 v I 3,538,999

Sheet 3 of 5 INVENTOR Z; TOI Q E H. NOREN I J 6 BY ATTORNEY Y Pi tc ntedNov. 10, 1970 INVENTOR,

t; TORE H.NOREN or; BY 9 Eff 57 2 53 I ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 10, 1970-Sheet INVENTOR TORE H. NOREN WMP ATTORNEY l i DOLLY CONVEYOR FOR ADISHWASHER CROSS-REFERENCE To RELATED APPLICATION In my copending patentapplication on a Sectional Oval- Shaped Table for Endless Conveyor forDishwasher, Ser. No. 632,093. filed Apr. 19, I967, n owU.S. Pat. No.31447.49l, I disclose the type of sectional table that can be'used in mypresent invention. The table can be made as long' as desired and ispreferably oval in shape although it can be of different shapes so. longas it provides an endless path for the train of dish-carrying dollies tofollow.

BACKGROUNDOFTHE INVENTION; 1

l.FieldoftheInvc-ntion;

FIG. 4 is an isometric schematic view of the power section of the ovaltable and is an enlargement of the dot-dash oval portion shown at FIG.4" in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged transverse section througha portion of the tableand dish basket carrying dolly and is taken along the line 5-5 ofFIG. 2.

A commercial dishwashing. apparatus consists of an endless track forsupporting a trainof dollies'thatcarry dish-containing baskets intoandoutfrom a dishwashing machine. The dollies are interconnected bylinks so as to form ah endless train and means is usedfor moving thedolly train at a predeter- SUMMARY or THE INVENTION An object of myinvention is to'provide a dollyconveyor for a dishwasher iniwhich theadjacent-'dollies abut'each other to form a train of dollies that willcarrydishes into and out from a dishwasher. This does awaywith'usingllinksto interconnect adjacent (lollies-and permits a dolly tobe removed from the train without thenecessityoffirst freeing it fromadjacent dollies. 5 l 7 A further objectof my invention is to provide adevice of the typedescribedin which an endlesschain is used for mov ingthe train-of dollies and each dolly hasnovel means for automaticallyconnecting. it to thecontinuously moving endless chain when the dollyreaches a predetermined position onthe mined speed so-thatthc disheswill be thoroughly washed and" table. This novel connectingtmeansbetween a dollyand the I endless chain prevents the dollyfrom beingmanually moved at a faster speed than that set by the m'oving chain.

The endless chain is only longrenough to engage one dolly'at v a timeformoving itgwhen the=entiretableisfilledwith a train 1 of dollies whereall abut each oth'er, the speed 'of the endless moving chain determinesthespeed at whichthe dolli'es carry the dishes throughthe dishwasher. Itis possibleto remove one of the dollies and thus the remaining trainofdollies will-be moved only whenthe'operator manually feeds a newdollyinto engagement withthe CIIQIIL'IIIII'IIS .waythe operator can holdup themovementofthetrain of-dollies untilhe fills the basket FIG. 6'is-another enlarged transverse section taken along the line 6-6of FIG. 2through the power section ofthe device.

' FIG. 7 is'a-top plan view of one of the dish basket carrying dollies.

FIG. 8"is a front elevation of one of the dish basket carrying dolliesand is a section through aportion of an adjacent dolly and is takenalong'the line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged elevational view of one of the two drive chainengaging 'pawls and it is taken along the line 9-9 of FIG. 7. The pawlis shown .with one of its connecting pins in engagement-with a link inthe endless drive chain.

FIG.- I0 is a view similar toFIG. 9, but shows the pawl {swung about itspivotso as to insert the locking pin in one of the drive chain linkswhen the dolly is manually moved faster than the speed of the chain adistance sufficient to remove the drive pi nofthe pawlfrom the chain.

FIG. I I is an enlarged elevational view of the dolly supporting wheeland shows a portion of the guide rail and is taken along the line 11-11ofFIG. 7.

FIG. l2 is a view similar to FIG. 7, but shows one of the dollies orcarriers provided'with a yielding tension bar and track wiper.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged section taken along the line l3-I3 of FIG. 12 andshows aportion of one of the dolliesand illustrates how the track" wiperis operatively connected thereto.

FIG. I4 is a'n'enlarged section ofa part of FIG. 12.

; DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In carryingout-my invention, Iprovide a table made up of sections A indicated generally in FIGS. 1,2and 3. The table is preferablyofthe type disclosed in my copendingapplication on a Sectional Oval-Shaped Table for Endless Conveyor forDishwasher, Ser. No.- 632,093, filed Apr. I9, 1967; now US. Pat. No.3,447,49l. Thetable can be made as long as desired by simply addingsections and the sections arc small enough so -thatthey canbe movedthrough a doorway. The joints 1 between adjacent sections are madewatertight as described in my copending case. I

One of the straight sections A is shown more in detail in FIG. '4. Thecurved sections are constructed in the same mannerfias'the straight onesand therefore it is sufficient to state that each section A has a tongue2 projecting from one end and it'has a tongue-receiving recess 3 at theother end. The'tongue of'one section will be removably received in therecess 3 in the adjacent section. Bolts, not shown, interconnect theadjacent sections and the joint I. thus formed, has a with dishes onthedollydirectlyinfrontof him, after which he moves this dolly'intoengagement 'with the endless moving chain. Thechainwilllthen'advance this dolly and all ofthe dol lies in front of itadistance that isequivalent tothe lengthof the dolly. i

siusr'osscrurrroworraraormwrrvos FIG..1 is a perspective view ofthedolly conveyor when used for conveying .dish-jcarryingbasketsthrougha-dishwasheri.

FIG. 2 im plan view of FIG. I and indicates the dishwashing I machinediagrammatically by dash'lines. A few of the dish-- form a train.ofdollics in-which.adjacent.dollies will abut one another.

FIG. 3 is a plan view ofthe oval table'similar toFIG.2. but

' shows one of thedolliesin the train, removed from the table.

-.nondrying waterproof mastic layer, not shown, applied between theabutting'parts of both sections. If the table is to be moved to a newlocation, the section securing bolts can be removed to free the sectionsfrom each other and then can be reassembled at the new location. Eachsection A has brackets at each end that abut the brackets of adjacentsections and are connected together by the removable bolts. The bracketsare not shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 inclusive because of the small scale Ifor'the drawings. The joints 1 between sections are shown.

. FIG. 1 shows the table sections A, interconnected and supportedby legs8'. A portion of the table extends through a standarddishwashing machineindicated generally at C. This dishwasher will wash and rinse the dishesin the usual manner. After the table sections A are assembled I mount adolly guide and supporting rail along each side of the table. This isillustrated in FIGS. 5 and6 as well as in the assembly views of FIGS.2and 3. Each table section A has an inner side wall 4 that extends to agreater height than the outer side wall 5, see FIG. 4.The purpose of thehigher inner wall 4 is to prevent any food particles and the like fromspilling off the table while the operator is feeding dirty dishcontaining baskets onto the dollies preparatory for the latter to carrythe baskets through the dishwasher C for washing and rinsing the dishesand other items carried by the baskets. When the sections A form thecomplete oval table, the inner high wall 4 will extend throughout thelength of'the table. The outer wall 5 will likewise provide a lowerouter wall that will extend throughout the table length.

Referring again to FIG. 4, it will be seen that I provide a side guideend supporting rail D, that is attached to the inner side wall 4. Acooperating side guide and supporting rail E is attached to the innersurface of the outer side wall 5. The rails D and E are identical toeach other. They are made from stainless steel tubing that has alongitudinally extending portion forced inwardly until this inwardlybent portion contacts with the inner surface of the diammctricallyopposite wall portion. This is clearly illustrated in FIG. 5 and theresult is that the tubular rail D, has a longitudinally extending groove6 with a curved lower wall 6a and a curved upper wall 6b, both of whichcan be thoroughly cleaned because there are no square corners. Also theouter surface of the rail D, has a curved surface 7 extending from thelower wall 611 of the groove 6 to the rear surface 8 of the rail. Therail D, has another curved surface 9 extending from the upper wall 612of the groove 6 to the same rear surface 8 of the rail. The outersurface of the rail as well as the longitudinal groove 6 are bothprovided with curved surfaces. This is done purposely for ease incleaning. The other side rail E, is constructed in the same manner andsimilar portions will be given the same reference numerals and nofurther detailed description of this rail need be given.

Both side rails D and E are secured to their respective side walls 4 and5 by the same supporting means. A description of the supporting meansfor the guide rail D, will suffice to include the supporting means forthe rail E. An internally threaded sleeve 10, see FIG. 5, has one endwelded or otherwise secured to the rear curved surface 8 of the rail D,and the axis of the sleeve lies in a horizontal plane. The inner wall 4of the table has an opening 11 disposed the desired distance above thebottom 12 of the table section A. A stud 13 has one or more washers l4placed on it and then the stud is inserted into the wall opening I],after which one or more additional washers l5 are placed on the stud.The stud is then screwed into the threaded sleeve l0 and will supportthe rail D while spacing it the desired distance in from the wall 4.

In FIGS. 2 and 3, I show a continuous rail D secured to and spaced fromthe inner wall 4 of the table. I further show another continuous rail Esecured to and spaced from the outer table wall 5. In actual practice,the table sections A are assembled together as indicated in FIG. 1, andthen the guide and supporting rails D, and E are cut to desired lengthsand secured to the table side walls 4 and 5, respectively. For example,straight lengths of rails D and E could extend throughout the straightportions of the oval table and secured to the table side walls. Thencurved lengths of rails D and E could be mounted in the curved portionsof the table and their ends brought into abutting arrangement with theadjacent ends of the straight rail portions. The rails D and E willextend through the length ofthe dishwasher C.

I will now describe the type of dolly F, I use for supporting thedish-containing baskets. FIG. 7 shows a top plan view of the dolly F andFIG. 8 is a front elevation. The dolly consists of a square frame madefrom stainless steel angle members. Ido not wish to be confined to anyparticular shape for the dolly F, because it could be rectangular aswell as square. The dolly frame has a rear stainless steel angle member16 with two supporting and rear guiding wheels G, and it also has afront stainless steel angle member I7 with two additional supportingfront guiding wheels H. The rear supporting and guiding wheels G for thedolly F, are placed closer together than the front wheels H because therear wheels ride in the groove 6 of the inner guide and supporting railD while the front wheels H ride in the groove 6 of the outer guide andsupporting rail E. The curved portions for the rail D have a smallerradii from the two centers for the curved table ends than do the curvedhas one end 20 welded or otherwise secured to the rear angle member [6ofthe dolly and then the strip has a portion 21 that parallels the side18 of the dolly and is spaced therefrom. Then the bumper strip 1 has aninclined portion 22 extending to the dolly side 18 with an integralportion 23 welded to the same side. The upper edge of the bumper strip Jprojects above the tops ofthe dolly frame members 16 and 18 so that theportions 20 and 23 of the bumper will also constitute retaining membersfor a dish-carrying basket K, shown in dash lines in FIG. 5.

Each dolly F, has two resilient bumpers secured thereto. One of them isthe bumper I which has just been described and the other is a similarbumper L, see FIG. 7. Since the bumper L is like the bumper .1, similarportions will be given like reference numerals except that those for thebumper L will be primed. The two resilient bumpers J and L are disposedat the corners of the dolly frame F that are the nearest to the innerwall 4 of the table. The bumpers of adjacent dollies will continuouslycontact each other because it is only by contact between dollies thatthe train of'dollies is moved by the moving endless chain. The cornersof the dollies disposed near to the outer wall 5 will be disposedfarther apart from the similar corners of adjacent dollies as thedollies move around the curved ends ofthe oval table.

The upper edge of the bumper L will be spaced above the tops of thedolly frame members 16 and 19 and will hold the basket K, shown in FIG.5, on the dolly. The inner end 24 of the bumper] is flared away from thedolly frame side I8 and the inner end 24' of the companion bumper L, isflared away from the side 19 of the same dolly so as to act as guidesfor the dish-carrying basket K, as the latter is manually moved onto thedolly F so as to be supported thereby.

I also provide basket retaining means on the front member 17 ofthe dollyF, see FIGS. 6 and 7. A strip M of stainless steel is substantiallyangle-shaped in cross section and it has a horizontal portion 25overlying and welded to the top surface of the front member of the dollyF. FIG. 6 illustrates how the horizontal portion 25 has a slight raiseat 25a that spaces this part above the top of the member 17 and then thestrip M is bent downwardly along its entire length to provide a verticalportion 26 that extends along the front of and is welded to the dollymember 17. When the dish-carrying basket K is in proper position on thedolly F, the front lower edge of the basket will rest upon thehorizontal portion 25 of the member M. The slight raise 25a in theportion 25 will prevent the basket K from accidentally slipping off fromthe dolly. Yet when the operator wishes to remove the basket, he canslide it forwardly so that its front edge will ride up over the slightlyraised portion 25:: of the member M, or he can manually lift the basketoff from the dolly.

All four supporting and guiding wheels G, and H for each dolly F, areidentical in construction and therefore a description of one of the rearwheels G, shown in FIG. 5, will suffice for all ofthe wheels. Ahexagonal nut has its upper end welded to the undersurface of thehorizontal portion of the rear dolly member I6. The wheel G is made upfrom two disc-shaped halves, a lower half 28 and an upper half 29. Thetwo halves are provided with a central axially aligned bore thatreceives a bolt 30. The shank of the bolt projects above the upper dischalf 29 and it is threaded to receive a lock nut 31. The lock nutcooperates with the head of the bolt 30 for clamping the two disc halves28 and 29 together. A spacing sleeve 32 is next mounted on the boltshank and this is followed by a washer 33. Then the projecting threadedend of the bolt 30 is screwed into the hexagonal nut 27. A wrench, notshown, is applied to the hexagonal nut 27 to prevent it from rotatingwhen-another wrench, not shown, is applied to the head of the bolt 30for tightening the wheel G in position on the dolly F.

I Each disc half has an annular groove that cooperates with each otherto form an annular groove 34 that has a wall seniicirculnrin shape. Afreely rotntnhle rim 35 has an inner annular groove 3!) whichcooperutes'with the annular groove 34 for receiving a plurality of balls37, see FIG. 5. Before the disc 229 is placed on the disc 28,the rim 35is moved into position to encircle the lower disc28. The operator thenplaces the desirednumber' of balls 37 in the cooperating grooves 34 and36, after which the upper disc 29 has its bore moved over the bolt shankand when the upper disc contacts 7 v with the lowerdisc, the balls 37will be held in the groove but and the same reference numerals will beapplied to similar parts. The front-.wheels H ride in the groove of theouter rail or track E. FIGS. 2, 3.and5, show the inner rail D, as havingtwo recesses 38 in the upper half of the rail that are spaced the samedistance apart as are the two rear wheels G. for each dolly I". This isfor the purpose of.allowing the operator to remove a dolly from thetrain of dollies if he so desires. When thetwo rear wheels G of thedolly are in alignment with the two recesses 38, the operator inremoving the dolly from the two rails D and E, first raises the backmember I6 of the dolly and this will'lift the rear wheels G, and movethem through the two rail recesses '38. It is then a simple matter'toslide the two front dolly wheels-H, out from the groove 6 in the outerrail E. The reverse procedure is followed when replacing the dolly Fback into the train of dollies.

r I will now describe the mechanism for moving the train of dollies F,at a predetermined speed along the table, this mechanism having-novelmeans for preventing the speeding up of the dolliesabove a set speedofthe chain. FIGS. 7 to inclusive illustrate howtwo drive pawls N and Pare operatively mounted on each dolly F. Anelongated bracket Q is weldedto the back of therear angle member of the dolly, see FIG. 7, and thisbracket has two offset portions 39 and 40 towhich the pawls N and 'P arepivotally mounted bystuds 41 and 42, respectively. Thedrive pawl N is ofthe shape shown full size by the dotted lines in FIG. 9. The pivot stud41 is placed closer to the left hand end ofthe pawl so that gravity willcause the righthand end to normally rest on a stop 43 that is welded tothe lower edge ofthe rear member 16 of the dolly I, and the bracket 0,as shown by thedot dash lines of FlG.9.'l'his will cause the lefthandend of the pawl to extend above the upper edge of the bracket 0 andthis cndcarries an integral upstanding pin 44 thatwill be positioned inthe path of an endless link chain'R, when the dolly F is moved onto thedrive section A of the table. In actual practice there will be anotherstop 43 provided. for the other pawl 48. l

The drive section A is not illustrated in FIG. 1, but it is shown inFIGS.,2, 3, 4, 9 and 10. The isometric view of FIG. 4, illustrates theinner table section-wall 4 as rotatably carrying a' drive sprocket 45and an idler sprocket 46. The endless link chain R extendsaround bothsprockets and its lower reach lies in the path the pins on the pawls Nand P will take as the dollies F move along the drive sectionand areguided by the rails D and ELAny drive means desired may be used forrotating the drive sprocket 45f] illustrate an electric motor S forrotating the drive sprocket 45, and a variable driveconnection, notshown, may be adjusted forrotating the sprocket at a desired speed. Thelower reach of the endless chain 'R has an effective lcngthapproximately equal to the length of one of the dollies I-'. This willcause the drive section to positively move it dolly a distance equal tothe length ofthedolly. FIG. 2 shows the oval table with a train ofdollies F in which each dolly has its 6 resilient bumpers J and Lcontacting with the bumpers of adjacent dollies. Therefore a positivemovement of the dolly in the drive section of the table willmove theentire train of dollies along the table. The pawl P ofa dolly F will bethe first one to be moved under the lower reach of the endless chain R.This pawl has a drive pin 47. similar to the drive pin 44 on the pawl N.see FIGS. 7 and 8. and the longer end of the pawl P,us measured from itspoint of pivot 42, will cause the shorter end to extend upwardly at anangle and to dispose the pin in the path of the lower reach of the chainR. The pawl P, is free to swing about its pivot and the result is thatthe pin 47 will enter one of the recesses in the link chain and thus beoperatively connected to the chain. The chain will move the pin 47, thepawl P, and move the dolly F, the length ofthe lower reach..

The other pawl N is for the purpose of having its pin 44 operativelyengage with the lower each of the chain R, see FIG. 9, before the drivepin 47 on the pawl P is freed from the chain. This assures the operatorthat the entire length of the dolly F, is moved clear of the drivesection of the table. If the table is filled with dollies, anotheradjacent dolly will have had its pawls N and P brought into operativeengagement with the chain before the preceeding dolly has been movedfree of the chain. In this manner the entire train of dollies F will bekept on the move at the set speed of the chain.

Each pawl N and P, is provided with a locking pin to prevent theoperator from moving the dollies manually faster than the set speed ofthe chain. The pawl N, has a locking pin 48 that is spaced farenough tothe right of the pivot 41, see FIG. 9, that when the drive pin 44 of thesame pawl is in engagement with the chain R, the locking pin 48 will beheld out ofengagement with the cha in.- The same istrue ofthe pawl P.When the drive pin 47 of this pawl is in engagement with the chain R,the locking pin 49 on the same pawl will be out of engagement with thechain. If now the operator pushes the dolly F to the right in FIG. 9,faster than the lower reach of the chain R is moving to the right, thiswill cause the drive pin 44 of the pawl N to be cammed out of the chain,but before this can take place, the pawl will swing on its pivot 41 andmove the locking pin 48 into engagement with the chain. It is impossibleto free the drive pin 44 from the chain R before the locking pin 48engages with thechain, see FIG. 10, where the drive pin 44 has beenfreed from the chain and pawl N, has swung about its pivot to insert thelocking pin 48 into operative engagement with the chain. The other pawlP operates in identically the same manner as the pawl N. Before thedrive pin 47 on the pawl P, see FIGS. 7 and 8, can pull free from thechain, the locking pin 49 will swing into engagement with the chain. Theoperator is thus prevented from moving the dolly faster than the movingchain. 1

. OPERATION From the foregoing description of the various parts of thedevice, the operation thereof may be readily understood. l havealready'described how the table sections A can be assembled to make atable of a desired size. FIG. 2 shows the oval table with the inner railD secured to the high inner wall 4 and the outer rail E secured to thelower outer wall. One of the table sections A is the drive section ofthe type shown in FIG.

I The table is filled with the train of dollies F, and these abut eachother and extend through the dishwashing machine C. When the motor S isstarted, the endless chain R will be moved at a predetermined speed andthis will move the dolly -F, that is in the drive section A, to theright in FIG. 2. The

rinsed. The clean dishes will emerge from the dishwasher and can beremoved by another operator or the same operator could load baskets ofsoiled dishes onto the dollies and remove baskets of cleaned dishes fromthe dollies after they have passed through the dishwasher.

I have already described how the pawls N and P prevent the operator frommoving the dollies along the table faster'than the speed of the chain.Such a movement will cause the pawls to swing about their pivots andmove their lock pins 48 and 49 into operative engagement with theendless chain R so that the dolly is prevented from being manually movedfaster than the chain.

In certain cases it may be desirable to intermittently feed dollies withbaskets of soiled dishes into the dishwasher. There may not be asufficient supply of soiled dishes to warrant the continuous movementofthe train of dollies. The operator can remove one dolly from the trainof dollies by lifting the rear wheels G of this dolly and moving themthrough the recesses 38 in the upper portion of the inner rail D. FIG. 3shows the table with one dolly removed from the drive section A.Therefore the continuous movement of the endless chain R, will not movethe train of dollies because there is no dolly in the drive section.

The operator can now fill the basket on the dolly next to the drivesection with dishes and when this basket is filled, he can move thedolly onto the drive section. At this point the drive pin 47 on the pawlI would become engaged with the lower reach of the continuously movingchain R ol'thc drive section and the chain would move the dolly acrossthis section. The drive pin 44 of the other pawl N would also engagewith the lower reach of the chain R, and before this pin would ride freeof the chain, the dolly would have been moved free of the drive sectionand, of course, will have pushed all ofthe dollies in advance of ittoward the dishwasher C. When once the dolly in the drive section hasbeen advanced by the chain R to a point where the drive pin 44 on thepawl N, ceases to be engaged by the chain, the dolly will stop movingand all of the dollies in advance of this one will also stop moving.This permits the operator to fill the next basket on the dolly that isadjacent to the drive section, with dishes and when the basket isfilled, to move this dolly into the drive section to start the nextmovement of the train ofdollies.

FIG. 2 shows the train of dish-carrying dollies or carriers F extendingaround the entire oval track. As previously stated the resilient bumpersJ and L, mounted on the sides of the carriers, abut the bumpers ofadjacent carriers. In order to automatically take up any slight slack inthe train of dollies or carriers, one or more of them is provided with atension bar indicated generally at 'l, in FIG. 12. A housing 50 iswelded to the side 19 of the carrier F, and encloses an end ofthetension bar 'I, as well as enclosing the portion 23 ofthe resilientbumper l.. The end 5] ol' the tension bar is pivotally mounted in thehousing 50 by means ofa pin 52.

The tension bar T, has an inclined portion 53, see FIG. 12, that isspaced from the inclined portion 22' ofthe side bumper L. The tensionbar T, then has a slightly curved portion 54 that is designed toyieldingly contact with the portion 21 of the adjacent side bumper] ofthe next dolly or carrier F. A plunger 55 is welded to the free end ofthe curved portion 54 and it is slidably received in a cylinder 56 thatin turn is secured to the portion of the bumper L. One or more coilsprings 57 is mounted in the cylinder and bears against the plunger 55for yieldingly urging it in an outward direction. An adjusting screw 58is mounted in the wall ofthe housing 50 and its inner end contacts withthe tension bar T. It is possible to adjust the screw 58 manually forvarying the tension on the tension bar and springs 57.

When the machine is operating and the entire oval table is filled with atrain of dollies or carriers F, as shown in FIG. 2, one or more of thecarriers will be provided with the tension bar T. It is almostimpossible to have the entire table filled with the train of dollies orcarriers and have all of the side bumpers J and L contact the sidebumpers of adjacent carriers without having some small space between twoof the adjacent bumpers. The tension bar T is used to take up this spaceand it can be swung toward or away from the adjacent bumper L bymanipulating the adjusting screw 53. The cylinder 56 is shown in sectionin FIG. 12 so as to illustrate the one or more coil springs 57. The coilsprings 57 have their ends abutting each other and they extend from theclosed end of the cylinder 56 to the inner end of the plunger 55. It ispossible to vary the spring tension against the tension bar T byaltering the number of coil springs 57 that are disposed within thecylinder.

In FIGS. 12 and 13, I illustrate the track wiper U and show how it issupported by the dolly F. The track wiper is preferably made of rubberand it extends across the width of the table A. I prefer to mount atrack wiper on every fourth dolly although I do not wish to be limitedto any particular number. The track wiper is formed from a strip ofrubber that is folded back on itself so as to present two resilientedges of the strip to slidably contact with the bottom 12 of the tableand with the adjacent lower portions of the side walls 4 and 5 of thetable. An inverted U-shapcd holder 59 receives the folded portion of thewiper and a center bolt 60, see FIG. 12, secures the wiper thereto.

The front angle-shaped member 17 of the dolly frame F, and the rearangle-shaped member 16 of the same frame, see FIGS. 12 and 13, pivotallycarry tubular arms 61-61. The arms have flattened ends that arepivotally connected to the frame F by bolts 62, and these ends haveedges 61a that function as stops and contact with the horizontalportions of the angle-shaped members l6 and I7 when the arms extenddownwardly at a predetermined angle and prevent further downwardswinging. The other ends of the tubular arms are also flattened and arecurved upwardly so that bolts 63 can connect them to the track wiperholder 59. The arms 6l can swing upwardly in a clockwise direction aboutthe bolts 62 to permit the track wiper U to move up and down to followany irregularities in the bottom 12 ofthe table. Since the wipers Uextend from side to side of the table, their movement with the dollieswill collect any foreign matter dropping onto the table and move it to acommon point where it can be removed from the table.

FIG. 14 illustrates an enlarged sectional view of the cylinder 56, theplunger 55 and their associate parts. The coil springs 57 have flattenedcircular ends which permit the ends of ad jacent springs to abut oneanother. The inner end ofthe innermost spring abuts the closed end ofthe cylinder 56 while the outer end of the outermost spring abuts theinner end of the plunger 55. The plunger is slidably received in theopen end of the cylinder.

lclaim:

1. In combination:

a. a dishwashing machine;

b. a table having an endless horizontal track with a portion extendingthrough the dishwashing machine;

c. an endless train of dish basket carrying dollies all of the same sizeand movable along said endless track in a single horizontal plane, theadjacent dollies continuously abutting each other so that a movement ofone dolly will move the entire dolly train as a unit along the endlesstrack;

d. an endless chain having a portion of its length equal at least to thelength ofone dolly and paralleling a portion of the endless track;

e. a chain-engaging pawl carried by each dolly and adapted to engagewith the chain portion that parallels said track when the dolly is inthis portion ofthe track; and

f. means for driving said chain at a desired speed for moving the dollywhose pawl engages the chain and causing all of the train ofdollies tomove at the same speed as the chain.

2. The combination as set'forth in claim 1 and in which:

a. means is automatically carried by said pawl and is engageable withsaid chain when any effort is made to move the dolly faster than thechain movement;

b. whereby said means when engaging said chain will prevent the dollyfrom moving faster than the chain movement.

3. The combination as set forth in claim 1 and in which:

a. said endless track is oval shape and consists of two spaced apartendless rails that have inner and outer straight and j curved portions;

b. each dolly including a frame with 'sides and inner and outer ends,thc inner end of 'each frame supporting bumpers that continuouslycontact with the bumpers of adjacent dollies;and

c. wheels rotatably carried by the dollies and supported by the endlessrails for disposing the dolly frames above the inner and outer rails;the bumpers being disposed ad jacent to the portion of the frame sidesthat lie near the "inner rail. 7 a

A dish basket carrying dolly comprising: a. a frame having side and endmember; 7 b. a resilient bumper mounted on one of said end members andhaving a rounded corner portion disposed near each oneof the two sidemembers withstraight portions that parallel the side members; wherebywhen two or more dollies are arranged side by side they will have theiradjacent bumpers with their straight portions abutting each other, therounded corner portions of adjacent bumpers will contact with each otherwhen onedolly is swung into an angular position in a certain directionwith respect to an adjacent dolly. 5. A dish basket carrying dollycomprising: a. a frame having side and end members; b. a resilientbumper mounted on each end member and having portions projectingabovesaid frame for receiving a basket therebetween',

havinga portion projectingabovesaid frame for contacting with a portionofthe basket disposedadjacent thereto; and

d. a strip secured to the other'side member and having a horizontalportion on which'the adjacent portion of the basket rests,' saidhorizontal portion extending beyond the basket with the extending'partbeing convex in shape to prevent the basket from accidentallyslipping. thereover but permitting.the basket"to "slide overthe convexpart when the basket is removedfrom the frame. i

6. A dish basket carrying dolly comprising:

; a frarne having front, re'ar and'side members;

a tension bar carried by said frame and having a portion spacedfrom oneof said sidemembers;

c. springmeans for yieldingly urging said bar portion away from saidside member; and

d. adjustable means for spacing said bar portion at the desired distancefrom said side member.

7. The combination as set forth in claim 6 and in which:

a. said spring means includes a cylinder carried by saidframeandh'avin'g a closed end;

b acoil spring disposed in said cylinder and bearing against the closedend thereof; and

- c. a plunger slidably receivedin said cylinder 'and'having itsinnerend bearing against 's aidcoilspring, the outer end of saidplungerbeing connected to' said tension bar and yieldingly urging saidbar portion away'from said frame side. 8. The combination as set forthin claim 6 and in which a resilient bumper isrno'unted on said frame andis disposed on the side of'said'framethat is opposite to'the sideassociated with said tension bar.

9.'A dish basket carrying dolly comprising: a. a frame havingifront;rear and side members; v b. an arm pivotally secured to each ofsaidfront and rear frame members andbeing swingable in vertical planes thatare parallel with these members; 0. a track wiper having a lengthsubstantially equal to the distance between the front and rear framemembers; and

d. a holder for said track wiper and being connected to the' a bracketsecured to one ofjsaid frame side members and 10. The combination as setforth in claim 9 and in which stop means is provided for limiting thedownward swinging of said arms about their pivots.

ll. ln combination: a. a dishwashing machine; b. a table having anendless track with a portion extending throughthe dishwashing machine; v

can endless train of dish basket carrying dollies all of the same sizeand movable along said endless track, the adjacent dollies abutting eachother so that a movement of one dolly will move the entire dolly trainalong the endless track;

d. an endless chain having a portion of its length equal at least to thelength of one dolly and paralleling a portion of the endless track;

e. a chain-engaging pawl carried by each dolly and adapted to engagewith the chain portion that-parallels said track when the dolly is inthis portion ofthe track; means for driving said chain at a desiredspeed for moving the dolly whose pawl engages the chain and causing allof the dollies to move at the same speed as the chain;

a second-chain-engaging pawl carried by each dolly and being spaced fromsaid first-named pawl so as to engage with said chain after saidfirst-named pawl but beforesaid first-named pawl is freed from saidchain; and

h. the first-named pawl on the next subsequent dolly in the train ofdollies engaging with said chain just before said second pawl on thefirst-mentioneddolly is freed from the chain; whereby a continuousmovement of said chain will continuously move the train of dollies formoving them through said dishwashing machine.

12. The combination as set forth in claim 11 and in which:

a. means is carried by said second pawl and is engageable with saidchain when any effort is made to move the dolly, carrying said secondpawl, faster than the chain movement;

j b. whereby the means on said second pawl will prevent the dolly frommoving faster than the chain.

13. A dish basket carrying dolly comprising:

a. a frame;

b. means for guiding said dolly frame along a predetermined path;

c. an endless moving chain having a portion paralleling the dolly path;

d a pawl pivotally carried by said dolly frame and adapted to followsaid endless chain portion when the dolly is moved along the path;

e. a drive pin on the pawl and engageable with said chain for connectingthe dolly to the moving chain when the dolly is in the path, whereby thechain will move the dolly along the path; and

f. a locking pin carried by said pawl, said locking pin engaging withsaid chain if the pawl is swung so as to free said drive pin from saidchainv 14. The combination as set forth in claim 13 and in which:

a. a second pawl is pivotally carried by said dolly frame'and is adaptedto follow said endless chain portion when said dolly is moved along thepath;

b. a drive pin on said second pawl engageable with said combined lengthslightly less than the length of said track;

d. an endless chain having a portion of its length equal at least to thelength of one dolly and paralleling a portion of the endless track, saidchain being driven at a predetermined speed;

. a chain-engaging pawl carried by each dolly and adapted to engage withthe chain portion that parallels said track when the dolly is in thisportion of the track, the length of the dolly train being such that thespace between the ends of the train is greater than the length of thechain portion

